Old Man Epps by Debbie Lacy

Old man Epps was a wise old man who had no friends in world. He was an evil old soul who wasn't gregarious in nature and quite callous! One day a little boy just happen to be high in a tree in an empty lot next to old man Epps' house and he could see through the window that his mirrors were covered. So the next day the little boy saw him and asked, “Why do you have all of your mirrors covered in your house? The evil old man looked down at him and asked, “How do you know this?" So the little boy said, "I was up in that tree over there and I could see that they were." The old man never said a word he just growled.

"I asked you a question the little boy said again, "Why do you have all of your mirrors covered?"

"Because I don’t like what I see? Now get away from me before something serious happens to you!”

The little boy left and went on his merry way speaking to people coming and going.

“Hello! How are you today?” The people responded friendly and said, “Just find how are you?”

“I’m just great!” He replied.

Several days passed and the little boy remembered the old man and decided to pay him another visit. “Mr. Epps!” He called out. “I told you to stay away from me!” He reminded the little boy. “But why?” The little boy asked. “Because I don’t want to be friends with you! You’re small and you wouldn’t understand!”

“Yes it is true that I am small but I can understand and feel many things. Why not tell me what’s bothering you and I’ll listen. I promise. I won’t judge you.” The little boy confessed.

“Since you must know, you see all my life I’ve hid myself from the world. I killed my father with an ice pick and I poured gasoline on my mother while she was sleeping and set her on fire. I’ve done many cruel crimes and now I’m paying for each and every one. I don’t know why I did those things to them, they’ve done me no harm but something came over me and it just happened.

What came over you?” The little boy asked.

“Something evil. I see it when I look in the mirror and it’s quite hideous!” He confirmed.

“I’m sure it’s all in your mind. You’re letting your imagination get the best of you.” The little boy stated.

No! It’s not! Now go away and leave me be!” The old man shouted.

The little boy left to go on his merry way speaking to people along the way when he ran across one of his friend’s older brother whose name was Sam.

“Hi Sam! How are you today?” The boy asked.

“Let me tell you something boy. If I were you, I’d stay away from that crazy old man before something awful happens to you. I've heard strange things of those who became associated with him. The mailman doesn't even deliver his mail to his door in fear of something happening to him. The energy people don't even read his meter. No one goes near him except you. He’s murdered many people and if you’re not careful, you may come up murdered. I've warn my little brother to stay away from him and you should too!"

“He’s not that bad, he just needs a friend to talk to, that’s all!

"Okay? It’s your funeral!” Sam advised.

One day the little was playing on the sidewalk near old man Epps’ house. He witnessed him dragging a large black sack from house to his vehicle, lifting it and throwing it into the trunk of his old car as he quickly drove off. The little boy wondered why he left in such a hurry while leaving the door to his home wide open. As he walked over to close his door, he became curious and decided to enter.

The place smelled some awful like he hadn’t cleaned in years. There were dirty clothes and rags smeered with blood stains lying around everywhere. There was an excessive amount of water bugs all over the place causing quite an infestation. As he walked through the house noticing all of the covered mirrors, he decided to uncover one just to see what old man Epps saw. Slowly he walked over and without hesitation he quickly snatched off the sheet from the mirror then suddenly he screamed with all his might as he ran out of the house and down the street passing people who were inquisitive as to what was wrong with him.

Several months passed and the little boy never said another word to anyone. His parents had given up after taking him to doctors to have test run on him trying everything they could to get him to speak, but instead he screams out as if he were in great agony or pain. Sometimes he'd scream out like a woman or child being tortured and other times he screams like a man. Then he becomes silent as he lie still staring into space with this terrified look on his face while strapped to a bed in the psychiatric hospital.

No one knew what terrible thing happened in that house that day or what terrible things the little boy saw in that mirror. The incident hit the front page of the daily newspaper and many came to see the little boy through the small looking glass of his room in the psychiatric hospital. Some prayed for him and others weeped because he was a boy with a good soul. Rumors say that the little boy's outward screams were the cries of the dead of the many victims who were brutally murdered. Some say from deep down inside himself, it was the little boy's way demonstrating the torture of all the victims.

As for the one old man, well lets just say he was never seen again because what was in the mirrors was the hideous evils of his past and now that they were uncovered, the evil consumed him torturing him in every possible way.

You see the moral of this story is that when you do evil to people, it always comes back to haunt you.

Comments

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liljohn 5 years ago

This story freaked me out! I never look into a mirror agin! lol!

Author

dl53acy 7 years agofrom East Texas

Like most little boys they are adventureous and curious about most things they don't understand. He wondered into something he had no business doing but being that he was such a gentle and caring child, he was terrified for the souls of the victims and felt their pain. That's what he wanted the people to know the pain, the sufferings, the agony while they were being murdered thru through his screams!

Merlin Fraser 7 years agofrom Cotswold Hills

I see the moral and could care less what happened to old man Epps but what evil did the little boy do to deserve such punishment ? Or did I miss something ?